


Forward

by Rangto



Category: Deltarune (Video Game)
Genre: Bonding, Friendship, Gen, Holidays, chilling, comfy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:07:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28442892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rangto/pseuds/Rangto
Summary: Kris and her brother Asriel both enjoy some hot chocolate while chatting about the future.
Relationships: Asriel Dreemurr & Kris (Deltarune), Kris & Susie (Deltarune), Noelle Holiday/Kris, Noelle Holiday/Kris/Susie
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	Forward

**Author's Note:**

> A little holiday gift I wrote for a friend. A little late for KRISmas, but I still hope you enjoy my drivels.

* * *

* * *

It was a cold yet relaxing afternoon in Hometown. The kind of afternoon that people often thought about whenever they thought about the holidays and family togetherness and end of year cheer. The sun had yet to fully set, yet its light hung in a state of twilight, bathing the world in an orange-pink glow that somehow made everything feel chill and relaxed. Adding to the mood of the hour was the weather, the temperature—while low enough to need an extra layer of clothing—still being consistent, with no bitter wind to buffet at exposed skin, nor excess heat to melt any of the soft snow, which welcomed everyone to drop on their backs to create snow angels or build snowmen at least three to four parts tall. The snow was even fluffy enough that from a distance, one could confuse it with fallen clouds.

It was in this perfect snapshot of the holiday season that, within a particular eatery in Hometown, a pair of siblings sat next to each other, sharing not only lovely warm cups of hot chocolate but their company. It was an odd scene to witness, as, even though the two individuals sitting next to each other were siblings, the two were not of the same species. The smaller of the two—sporting a heavy green jacket with a single yellow stripe and puffy black pants that seemed to be stuffed with dow and other warm materials—was a human female no older than seventeen. The other sibling—an imposingly tall male sporting a light blue fur-lined hooded jacket and a pair of beige-toned pants and boots—was a caprine monster. 

Krista Dreemurr—Kris for short—was the adopted daughter of the Dreemurr family. She wasn’t imposing as a human, especially considering that she barely stood at five feet tall. Her older brother—Asriel Dreemurr, or Azzy for short—stood in stark contrast to her, being nearly six and a half feet tall. 

Just from casual observation, it would have been impossible to pin the two as relatives. It wasn’t that common to see humans in monster society, to begin with, due to humans being such a rare sight—a sad fact of a life post human-monster war. Despite the sadness that a specific subject brought about, the two siblings' presence gave hope to any and all onlookers. The wounds could indeed heal given enough time and enough effort.

That afternoon though, there was no worry about errant eyes gazing upon them, not in Hometown anyways. Instead, the pair were more preoccupied with chatting and catching up on nearly a year’s worth of events. Kris, in particular, seemed uncharacteristically enthusiastic to be talking with her brother. To see her with such joy over something as mundane as a conversation was almost alien, as the human’s days usually consisted of going about her day with a monotone face and voice. 

Naturally, Kris couldn’t be blamed for showing so much enthusiasm over sitting next to her brother. His visitations only happened once a year due to his attendance in a far-away university. It was because of that fact that Kris was determined to get as much time together with her brother as she could manage over his holiday break, to the point that anyone observing the scene would have considered her attempts at communication to be on the slightly obsessive side. But by the positive responses coming from Asriel, it seemed that the caprine monster either didn’t mind his sister’s semi-obsession with him or hadn’t noticed. Those that knew Asriel well would probably say that he hadn’t yet noticed. Asriel wasn’t precisely that perceptive when it came to the subtleties of life, especially when it came to the fairer gender. If anything, Asriel’s upbringing left him as the perfect combination of pure wholesomeness and blissful ignorance, to the point that he genuinely wouldn’t be able to tell if a member of the fairer sex was trying to seduce him. Not that he really cared; he lived life to the beat of his own drum, and that was what really mattered to him in the end. 

Asriel took a big sip of his hot chocolate and let out a sigh. He’d been mulling the question over in his head for some time now, but he hadn’t yet found a proper way to voice it without coming off as too inquisitive. Every year he asked it, and every year, he got what to him sound like another stock response. Yet, as he gazed around at the empty diner, he couldn’t think of a better time to bring it up, especially considering that that holiday might be the last time he could voice his concerns before life changed. 

“So,” Asriel suddenly started, his tone laid-back and warm as his fur despite the slight inner turmoil in him. “Have you thought about what you’re going to do after you graduate high school, Kris?”

Kris, cup of hot chocolate halfway up to her lips, suddenly brought down the mug as her mind filled with thoughts over what her brother had just asked her. “What am I…” she repeated, her eyes first meeting her brother’s, then traveling back to her mug of hot chocolate before glazing over just ever so slightly.

Kris honestly hadn’t given much thought to her life post-high school. If anything, she hadn’t really been giving much thought to anything else that didn’t immediately have to do with the Dark World and everything else surrounding it. For the most part, the teen had been relying on her ability to seemingly coast by life in general. Sure, there had been times when she’d needed to be more proactive. Still, for the most part, she always seemed to find ways to resolve issues around her, even if said issues were absurd in nature. It had worked well so far, so why wouldn’t it keep working? Yet, as she really mulled over her brother’s question, the human couldn’t help but really wonder what she would do with herself once she got out of school and had to pick a path in life all her own...

Kris, much like everyone else in her age range, wanted nothing more than to get done with schooling. She didn’t have much time left, as she would be graduating in less than a year. Yet, after school was over and she finally stepped into the shoes of adulthood, what then?

Kris thought back to her younger years. Once upon a time, she had considered going to university much in the same way as Asriel had, both as a means of ensuring a future for herself and finally leaving Hometown behind for greener pastures. Yet, for all her plans and all her dreams, the reality was that her priorities had changed. Not only had she gotten her grades significantly higher, but she had also traveled to another dimension of darkness, had become embroiled in a still ongoing battle against a mysterious foe known as the Queen, had rekindled an old friendship with Noelle Holiday, had practically become sisters with her former bully, Susie Phlogiston, had gotten a lot closer with the rest of her classmates—each one now a friend she couldn’t imagine herself living without—and perhaps most importantly had found self-worth and grown as a person thanks to all her journeys and struggles, growing into someone people loved to be around and could rely on even in the hardest of times.

The more Kris thought about all the growth she had achieved in a single year, the less the idea of leaving the place where her whole life now seemed to revolve around appealed to her. If nothing else, she wanted to stay in Hometown for the rest of her life, fostering what she had already achieved while living a pleasant and peaceful life with those she cared about most. 

Kris took a quick sip of her hot chocolate and, after softly sighing, looked at her brother in the eyes and smiled as widely and as warmly as she could manage. “I want to stay in Hometown for the rest of my days,” the teen cheerfully replied to her brother’s question. 

Asriel’s eyes widened in response to what his sister had just replied with. His mind went blank for just a second before he returned to his senses, the realization of what Kris had just said slowly sinking in, catching him completely off-guard by the nature of how vastly different it was compared to what she had once told him.

“W-wait. Wait, wait, wait!” Asriel stammered out, his eyes locking with his sister’s. “You want to stay in Hometown... _forever_?!” the caprine monster almost shouted in a mixture of concern and shock. “W-what happened to all that talk about leaving to see the world and wanting to go to university and finding a career and all that other stuff?”

Kris so wanted to tell her brother the real reason she had changed her mind so drastically over the last year. She wanted to tell him about her adventures in the Dark World, her battles against strange and powerful foes, the strange denizens she had befriended in her travels through the dark, and of the struggles and adventures yet to come.

Kris took another swig of her hot chocolate before giving her brother a shrug. “Nothing’s changed, Azzy. I just feel like I’m happiest here in Hometown,” the teen answered nonchalantly.

Asriel blinked a few times in an attempt to fully process his sister’s words. At first, he considers trying to talk Kris out of her sudden infatuation with Hometown, both because it didn’t sit entirely right with him for someone to suddenly decide to give up on whatever dreams they might have been brewing, but also because he wanted the best for his little sister; something she definitely wasn’t going to find it in a small, albeit peaceful, town.

Asriel let out another sigh, practically downed the rest of his hot chocolate in a single gulp, and turned his body so that he was facing his sister head-on. “Kris, listen,” he started, his tone soft yet stern. “I’m happy... that you’re happy, and that you feel that you’ve found what will continue making you happy… but you won’t grow if you just stay here. I mean, life doesn’t just stay the same. Things—people—change...”

Kris tilted her head, wordlessly asking her older sibling what he meant by his statement.

Asriel cleared his throat and adjusted his stance to better sit on the table. “Okay, let me be a bit more clear. Life’s ever-changing, you know. It’s not like anything stays the same forever. Believe me, I used to think the same too, that no matter how much I grew up, if I stayed where I was and kept on doing the same things that I’d always done, everything would carry on, and I would stay happy…” The caprine monster looked down at his almost empty mug of hot cocoa. “But the thing is, staying in the same place doing the same thing for the rest of your life isn’t satisfying. It’s stagnating…” Asriel turned back to face Kris, eyes wide and glowing with newfound vigor. “...Growth is maybe the most important thing in one's life!”

It was now Kris’ turn to blink a few times in confusion. 

Asriel let out a chuckle and rubbed Kris on the head. “Look, Kris, life’s all about change. Yes, change can be scary. It can be confusing and inconvenient, sometimes even cruel… but in the end, growth is beautiful. You’ll never know how much you can achieve until you try it!”

“But…” Kris began, her mind unsure of just how to process her brother’s words. “What if… what if I don’t like what I end up becoming? Or worse, what if I begin to forget about everything else in search of something more?” she asked, worry dripping from her voice. 

Asriel smiled warmly at his sister and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, bringing her closer to him for a friendly, warm hug. “I know the idea of change can be scary. Believe me, I’ve been there stressing over it myself for most of my life. Sometimes, you think you’ve found your thing in life, and you don’t want anything to come along and switch it because you’re afraid that any changes will ruin the good you already have going… but that’s something you just have to learn to accept!” Asriel tightened his hug, which went from being comfortable to slightly smothering, much like their mother’s hugs tended to be. “It’s okay to be afraid of change, but as long as you keep those you love in your heart and never forget what really matters, then it’s possible to be happy wherever your wind up!” Asriel said with so much cheer that Kris just couldn’t help but smile from the infectious optimism.

As soon as Asriel had finished his words, the small bell at the diner’s door rang. In walked a small group of young adults, all sporting winter clothing and looking as cheery as the season called for. 

Leading the small pack was a feline monster that most people in town knew as ‘Burgerpants’ for whatever strange reason given that he didn’t even work at a burger restaurant, but at ICE-E’s Pezza parlor as cashier, cook, and mascot depending on the day and his boss’ whims. Behind him was Hometown’s haughty yet kind-hearted crocodilian monster, Bratty, her usual hot pants and pink tee outfit discarded for a puffy set of pink winter garbs. It probably didn’t help much that she wasn’t exactly built for cold weather as a crocodile-like monster. Finally, and perhaps wearing the least amount of winter clothes aside from fluffy pink earmuffs was Happstablook, one of the two ghost siblings from Hometown, the other being Officer Napstablook, who was probably still back at police HQ either keeping warm or out on the beat if Commissioner Undyne was extra cruel that evening. Hapstablook, as usual for their style, wore their ectoplasmic hair styled to cover one eye, the other adorned with what looked to be mascara rated for ghostly use. Aside from that, the ghost-like monster looked to be somewhat uncomfortable in public, which is why they kept close to their three other friends.

Within the second of having come into the diner, Bratty spotted Asriel. “Like, Yahoo!” she called out, tapping Burgerpants on the shoulder to signal him to move in towards Asriel and Kris' table.

Asriel’s expression, already cheerful to begin with, became even brighter the instant he saw his trio of comrades at the diner’s entrance. “Yo!” he called out, standing from the table and walking up to greet the group with arms stretched wide and an ear to ear simper.

“Wuzzap homes,” Burgerpants chimed, fist-pumping Asriel with quite the amount of vigor. “You ready for our trip to the mall?” He asked, a broad smile forming on his lips.

Bratty walked up to Asriel and grabbed him by the right forearm, her body cuddling up to the caprine monster seductively. “Like, it’s been SO LONG since we got to hang out like this. Hope you're up for an evening of fun and lots and LOTS of shopping!” she said with a half-lidded stare that made Asriel’s cheeks go rosy.

“That’s right, darling. It has been AGES since we got together like this. I do hope you haven’t gone and gotten more reserved now that you’re in university,” Hapstablook said in a sassy yet warmly cheerful tone that almost didn’t suit the ghost’s usual reserved manner.

Asriel gave his three friends a toothy smile in reply to their words. “Of course I’m ready!” he cheerfully replied before turning back to face his sister. “Say, Kris, wanna come with us to the mall?” the elder sibling asked his sister, his shining with the exciting prospect of not only having a hangout with old friends but also with his beloved little sister. "It feels like years since we last had a big group hangout!"

Kris looks at his brother and his three friends. She noted the joy they were practically radiating by just being near each other. Much as she wished it wasn’t so, she couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous of the good vibes her brother had going with his friends. As such, she felt that being a potential extra wheel didn’t quite sit right with her. This was Asriel’s time to enjoy the company of his friends, especially since he really only got to see them once a year.

“It’s okay, Azzy. I’m too comfy right now to move from my seat,” Kris said with a slightly sad smile on her lips. “You go and enjoy that trip to the mall. I’ll see you at home later.”

Asriel walked up to his sister and put a hand on her shoulder. “You sure? We’ve got plenty of room in my car, and I’m sure the others don’t mind you coming at all,” Asriel said, turning to face his trio of friends.

As if on cue, Burgerpants, Bratty, and Hapstablook walked up next to Asriel, broad smiles on all three of their lips. “Hey, of course, I don’t mind having the little buddy around!” Burgerpants said far more enthusiastically than was probably necessary.

“Like, I’m more than happy to hang with my practically sister-in-law!” Bratty exclaimed, causing Asriel’s cheeks to once again go pink.

“Why darlings, if I said ‘no’ to hanging out with Krista here, I’d be quite the brutish antisocialite!” Hapstablook said, all the while giving everyone present a matter-of-fact grin that didn’t seem to fit with the pink ghost.

Kris let out a chuckle in response to the outpouring of love she was receiving. Nonetheless, she stood by firmly with her decision to let Asriel have his hangout unhindered by her presence. “I appreciate the sentiments, but right now, I think I want another round of hot chocolate before going home. You three go and have your fun..." The human looked deep into her brother's eyes and gave him the broadest smile she could muster given the situation. "Really; do your shopping and enjoy each other's company!”

The four friends all gave each other questioning looks before finally giving in to Kris’ desire to stay behind. “Well, if you insist then,” Asriel answered, but not before turning towards the diner’s counter. “Can’t leave my lil’ sister without something first, though,” he added just before calling out to QC, who came up to the counter with a slight simper on her lips. “QC, another round of hot drinks for my sister. On me,” he said, putting a couple of dollar bills on the counter to pay not just for the new round of hot drinks but also for the previous orders the two siblings had partaken in. "Also, make 'em the extra-premium type," he added with a sly smirk.

“You got it, hon!” QC cheerfully replied as she took the money and motioned to her cooks to get the 'super' batch of hot chocolate ready.

“Okay, then sis. See you later then!” Asriel said as he and his trio of friends walked out of the diner, leaving the eatery considerably less cheery than when all of them had been present. Feeling the lack of energy in the establishment, Kris almost began considering that her decision to stay behind had been objectively wrong. Still, all she had to do was remember why she had chosen to stay behind to get those thoughts out of her head. 

About a minute after Asriel and his merry group departed from her eatery, QC walked up to Kris’s now mostly empty table with a new and massive mug of hot chocolate. As the purpled-toned lagomorph put down what was basically a half-gallon flagon of cocoa, she couldn’t help but let out a satisfied chuckle. “This just might be my cook’s best work yet! Equal parts milk and half-and-half combined with melted chocolate, nutmeg, a bit of vanilla-flavored coffee, all shaken, not stirred, and topped with fresh-made whipped cream and...” QC pulled a wooden container that was revealed to be filled to the brim with still steaming fresh wafer cookies upon popping the lid off. "...A freshly baked vanilla wafer as a garnish!" She said, grabbing one of the warm snacks and placed it on top of the whipped cream. 

Kris’ eyes widened at the sight before her, the chocolate fiend in her just barely managing to keep collected in the face of such a tempting feast.

QC again chuckled, though that was punctuated with a sigh. “A shame that Asriel isn’t here to enjoy this. Then again, I don’t think he really needs it, considering how he’s already got such sweets friends to keep him company. He’s so lucky to still have such good friends even though he now lives so far. Kinda envy him, actually.” QC let out another chuckle, her attention turning back to the human. “Anyway, enjoy the hot cocoa. If you need anything else, just call me, hon!”

QC returned to the kitchen with those words, leaving Kris as the sole customer in the diner that evening. As Kris reached down to begin consuming her chocolate feast, she couldn’t help but think about all that had happened that evening. She really thought about Asriel’s words, about what he had told her regarding not being afraid of change, and how so long as she kept those she cared about in her heart, it didn’t matter where she wound up. She would always find peace and happiness. 

While a part of Kris still felt hesitant to accept her brother’s words, she couldn’t deny that Asriel wasn’t wrong, especially considering what she had just seen, for despite having been gone five years, all of Asriel’s old friends still came back to him happy to see him and ready to give their time and energy to be around him, even if it was only for a short time before he again vanished from their lives and into his university work.

‘ _Maybe Azzy’s right_ ,’ Kris thought to herself as she began enjoying her hot chocolate. ‘ _I can’t always live in fear of an unknown. I have to trust that my friends will always be there for me..._ ’

Suddenly, the ringing of the diner’s door bell tolled across the empty restaurant. In walked Susie and Noelle, both wearing heavier versions of their everyday clothing, with Noelle, in particular, taking her usual yule holiday theming to extremes by wrapping Christmas lights around her antlers. She also sported a much thicker version of her regular red and green checkered vest. However, her winter version came with longer sleeves and looked both fuzzy and itchy. However, given that Noelle was already covered head to hoof in fur, it probably didn’t cause her any discomfort.

In contrast, Susie looked almost like her usual self, except that her pants weren’t ripped jeans, but thick wool winter pants. Her white undershirt was a white hoodie, its large kangaroo pocket currently housing her fingerless gloved hands. Over the hoodie, she wore a purple jacket twice the standard thickness of her classic coat. Completing her winter appearance was a pair of white earmuffs that surprisingly didn’t clash at all with Susie’s brown hair or mauve skin.

The two high-school seniors were so deep into their conversation regarding the pleasant weather outside that they almost didn’t notice Kris sitting near the far end of the diner all by her lonesome. In all honesty, they hadn’t expected her to be alone during the holiday season, as they knew that whenever Asriel was around, Kris was basically unavailable until further notice. When the two, at last, spotted Kris sipping on her drink and seemingly lost in melancholic thoughts, the two stopped in their tracks and looked at each other with confusion.

“Hey Noelle, correct me if I'm wrong... but isn’t that Kris sitting there all by herself?” Susie was the first to speak, asking the doe next to her with a somewhat hushed tone to avoid drawing potentially unwanted attention despite the diner's emptiness.

Noelle stared at Kris for a second before turning her sight back to her draconic companion. “Yeah, that does look like Kris. Though, she’s not with Azzy…” Noelle rubbed her chin, her mind churning with thoughts as to why Kris wasn’t with her beloved siblings. “I wonder if something happened between Kris and Azzy?” Noelle suddenly voiced, her tone filled with slight panic. “Maybe they got into an argument or something!”

Susie again glanced at Kris, taking in her human friend’s mood. “Nah,” Susie commented with a slight smirk. “I don’t think that’s what happened. Kris doesn’t look nearly as pissed or sad as she’d otherwise look.”

Noelle raised an eyebrow in reply to Susie's comment. “And how would you know that?” she asked her friend, all the while crossing her arms.

Susie chuckled once, her trademark wide smirk showing in reply. “Oh, I’ve seen Kris sad and pissed before. It was a little bit before the two of you really reconnected.” She pointed towards Kris, who still seemed oblivious to her two friends murmuring about her. “See, her eyebrows aren’t crumpled. Also, she’s not frowning.”

Noelle squinted her eyes slightly, blinked a few times, and then turned back to face Susie. “Uh, Kris just seems to have a plain face. Can’t really see anything that would tell me she’s sour and whatnot. Not with all that hair covering half her face anyway.”

“Exactly!” Susie remarked matter-of-factly. "If she really was pissed or sad, you'd be able to tell even through that curtain of brown hair she keeps her eyes behind!"

Noelle turned to look back at Kris, her own expression dropping in the process. “I still don't like what I'm seeing. I’m going over to see what is up with her,” the doe exclaimed, taking a step towards the table.

“H-hey!” Susie exclaimed, rushing forward to keep up with Noelle. “I’m coming too!”

Without wasting another second, the duo rushed towards Kris’ table; in their minds, they are speeding to the aid of a friend in need of companionship and comfort in a potentially dark time for them. In truth, though, Kris needed neither help nor friendship at that moment in time. When the two friends arrived next to her table, Kris was quite shocked to see her friends looking in such dire moods.

“Kris! Are you okay? Are you feeling down in these wonderful holiday times!?” Noelle blurted out through raspy gasps, her rush to aid Kris apparently so taxing that she was left breathless. No clue why that was the case, as the dash towards Kris’ empty table hadn’t been that exhaustive. “Remember that in times like this, we gotta be merry, with goodwill towards all men and monsters!” the doe added to her previous statement, the smile on her lips wide and merry, her small buck teeth completing the happy simper that, in any other situation, would have made Kris absolutely melt from its cuteness.

“Uh… yeah, what Noelle said!” Susie chimed in, her wide toothy grin hiding a bit of unease at suddenly having to be so merry when her usual state of affair was somewhere between ‘crass’ and ‘indifferent.’ “Gotta have that holiday cheer and whatnot. Can’t, uh… have that, uh… smile be upside down?” the mauve dragon added, a few beads of sweat forming as she clearly struggled to form cheerful words that didn’t patronize nor belittle. She gazed back between Noelle and Kris as if expecting some kind of cue to come up that would let her return to her usual self.

Noelle took a step back and started dancing a little jig in place, all the while swinging her arms up and down, her smile not once wavering. “ _You gotta have that cheer in your heart while knowing when to smile! The holidays are the best time to be alive!~_ ” Noelle sang slightly off-tune, very obviously making up the words to her song on the spot, though judging by the little jig and its rather well-timed swings and skips, the dance itself wasn’t something she was making up as she went along.

In response, Susie’s eyes widened as she took one step away from her companion. “Oh, HELL NAW! I’m not dancing!” she said, her arms crossed and her brow furrowed into a scowl, all the while turning her head away from the doe. Susie was many things, but a dancing holiday nut was not one of those things.

“Oh, common! It’s all to make Kris happy!” Noelle cheered on, her eyes shining as if tiny stars had somehow materialized inside both eyeballs. “Please. Do it for Kris!”

Susie took yet another step back, beads of sweat forming in her brow in response to Noelle’s pleading eyes. The mauve dragon’s eyes began darting from side to side, almost as if ensuring that there was no one else in the diner except for herself, Noelle, and Kris, before letting out a long and drawn-out sigh. “...Fine…” she finally said with great reluctance and a deafening groan in her voice. 

Noelle let out what almost sounded like a high-pitched squee before once again resuming her merry dancing and singing. Susie, after once again looking around the diner to make sure there weren’t any errant eyes to see what she was about to do, began to skip in place too, all the while clapping her hands and singing along with Noelle in a very low, very monotone, and just barely matching her friend’s voice.

Kris’ eyes were wide open, and her jaw was open and slacked, her mind not quite able to process what she was witnessing. It took her almost a full minute to truly process. ‘ _Are Susie and Noelle…_ ’ she thought, her eyes moving from one friend to the other, their dancing and singing filling her eyes and ears with just barely adequate holiday cheer that, if she was honest, could use with loads more practice before being considered ‘passable’ at best. Still, for its lack of form and style, the intended message her friend’s tomfoolery sent was clear to her.

It started with a smile. That smile slowly turned into a grin, which then became audible as Kris softly began to giggle; first to herself, but gradually her voice picked up sound and passion as her giggles turned into laughs, then into full-on guffaws of merriment that were very much uncharacteristic of the customarily reserved human.

Noelle and Susie stopped their dancing and singing, their sights set on the laughing form of their friend, who by that point had started slapping her knee, her amusement unable to be contained by mere laughter anymore. Kris only stopped once to take another sip of her hot chocolate before resuming, her very soul feeling a sudden surge of motivation. 

While her friend’s attempts at cheering here were misguided, having them go out of their way to do a merry jig for him only served to reinforce Asriel’s words. ‘ _I’ve been too big of an idiot,_ ’ Kris told herself, her previous doubts all but supplanted by a warm fuzzy feeling in her heart. Sure, the world may change, and she along with it, but so long as she had such good friends ready and willing to make fools of themselves to cheer her on just on the thought that she might be sad really helped her in seeing past her own fear and insecurities. She couldn’t fight change, and she couldn’t just sit by and stagnate. She had to get up, embrace the unknown, and keep moving forward.

“Forward,” Kris Whispered to herself between laughs. “Has a nice right to it...”

Susie and Noelle once again look at each other, each wondering just what was happening before their eyes.

“Uh, did we break Kris?” Susie asked in an unsure, worried tone.

“I’m… not sure,” Noelle replied, her own voice filled with worry and insecurity.

As much as the two wanted to say something to Kris, they held their tongues, as they didn’t want to interrupt Kris’ sudden surge of joy. That had been their goal, after all.

In the back of her mind, Kris could only really think of how to best thank her friends for the needed cheering. She’d have to find some way to make it up to them. It was then the holiday season, so there were many, many ways of showing those closest to you that you loved them.

Kris had her work cut out for her, it seemed. Though she knew just the way to start.

Kris stood up and, without wasting another second, wrapped her arms around her two best friends, bringing them into a warm embrace and catching them completely off guard. "I love you two so, SO much," the human said warmly to the two.

Noelle, eyes shimmering with cheerful tears, hugged Kris back without hesitation. Susie meanwhile, just kept on standing there, stunned by the ruden display of adoration. Little by little though, her own eyes began to shimmer as she accepted her friend’s loving embrace.

QC, watching from the kitchen window, couldn't help but feel all warm and fuzzy. With a snap of her finger, she caught the attention of her cook. "Welp, put more of the chocolate in the fire. We're gonna be needin' it soon."


End file.
